Health Foods Blog

I just read an article which references one of the most questionable pieces of research I’ve seen in a long time. The research essentially concludes that eating healthy is too expensive for most.. Adam Drewnowsky, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington said, “So eating well is really becoming unaffordable for many, even in the middle class.”

Memo to Mr. Drewnowsky:

I bought you a half pound of fish and a head of romaine lettuce and an apple and it’s still cheaper than a large Big Mac Value Meal. If you forward me your address, I would be more than happy to FEDEX it to you.

Visit enough health food stores and read enough literature on diet and nutrition and you’re almost guaranteed to read about oxidative stress. It’s a new buzzword for nutritionists and it’s also being used by health food companies to sell products. So, what is oxidative stress?

Oxidative stress is a condition in our body which occurs when the available supply of the body’s antioxidants is insufficient to handle and neutralize free radicals (highly unstable molecules that lead to the creation of abnormal cells) of different types.

There is a new study conducted by USDA scientists that was published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (Volume 26, No. 2, 170-181, 2007) that concludes that eating wild blueberries and other antioxidant-rich foods at every meal helps prevent oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is linked to chronic diseases and aging. Perhaps, more interesting is that the study also concludes that the timing of when the foods are consumed are almost as important as when they are consumed.

And for the Atkins Diet fans:

Eating a meal with no antioxidants or just carbohydrates, fat or protein actually lowers the antoxidants levels and causes oxidative stress